1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to beverage cooling systems. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a modular beverage cooling system having modules that are independently removable from and connectable to the remainder of the main assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional beverage cooler contains all the major refrigeration components, such as compressor and evaporator, integrally within a single cooler carcass. The refrigeration system is configured so that the evaporator is contained in a waterbath and the other refrigeration components are situated in an area commonly referred to as the “fridge compartment”. The evaporator is hermetically connected to the other refrigeration components most commonly by rigid copper or stainless steel pipework, via permanent or semi-permanent soldered or brazed joints. Therefore, the fridge compartment and waterbath are essentially inseparable in service, other than by a service person skilled and trained in the art of refrigeration, and having all the necessary specialist equipment to safely carry out the operation. In almost all instances, in the event of a failure in the refrigeration system, such as a micro-leak of refrigerant, or a compressor failure, the entire beverage cooler must be disconnected from the installation, and replaced. In many instances, this may be a major and expensive operation, requiring at least two service engineers and a complete replacement beverage cooler.
Further with a conventional beverage cooler, the cooling capacity is determined by the size, or displacement of the compressor. It is not possible to increase the cooling capacity of an installed beverage cooler. So, if a conventional cooler is correctly sized to suit a trading account at the time of installation, it may not have sufficient capacity to accommodate a significant increase in drinks sales in a future changing market. It does not make financial sense, both from an acquisition cost or energy consumption perspective, to install over-sized coolers where sales do not warrant it at the time of installation. Likewise, a long-term downturn in sales could leave an end user with a cooler that is over-sized for the prevailing market, incurring higher than necessary energy costs and wasted capacity. The preferred solution in both circumstances may be to replace the existing cooler with an alternative cooler more appropriately sized for the new trading environment. This is a costly and disruptive operation, usually requiring two service operatives and significant downtime.
Moreover, conventional beverage coolers are designed and constructed with a specific refrigerant type included. The refrigerant type may be a customer preference, or may be dictated by environmental regulations. Once constructed and commissioned, it is unlikely that a change of refrigerant would be feasible during an individual cooler's operational lifetime. So, any change in a customer's preference, or further environmental legislation against an existing refrigerant, or even a new refrigerant entering the market with significant advantages over the current range of refrigerants could mean an entire population of beverage coolers might have to be replaced, simply to accommodate a change of refrigerant.
Additionally, the conventional beverage cooler is installed in a pre-determined space within the trading account. In many cases, this space may be unsuitable for a variety of reasons. For example, the conventional beverage cooler may be sited in a very restrictive area, where air circulation is poor; this may compromise the efficiency and performance of the conventional beverage cooler, and may result in premature component failure, high energy consumption, or repeated service calls for warm drinks. Alternatively, the conventional beverage cooler could be sited in an area where excessive heat or cold is experienced for large parts of the day; these extremes may also impact on performance, energy consumption and reliability. Little can be done to alleviate these conditions, once the conventional beverage cooler is installed and commissioned.
Further, when a conventional cooler has experienced a failure of the refrigeration system, the entire cooler must be removed from the trading account and returned to the original equipment manufacturer or an approved repair agent, irrespective of the fact that no other part of the dispense system is faulty. This leads to a situation where large coolers awaiting refrigeration repairs consume a disproportionate amount of factory space.
Accordingly, there is a need for a modular beverage cooler that has a refrigeration module, a pumping and control module, and a beverage cooling module that are independently removable from and connectable to the remainder of a main assembly. There is a further need for a modular beverage cooler that has a second cooling medium that is circulated in a cooling tank and that is cooled by a refrigeration system having a first cooling medium. There is still a further need for a modular beverage cooler that has a first refrigerant that flows into a condenser or gas cooler where the first refrigerant is cooled by a fan, and a second refrigerant that is cooled by the refrigeration system that is circulated by a pump where the pump and the fan are operated by the same motor.